Indulge in the BEST custard bread pudding recipe! This rich, decadent, custard bread pudding is made with day old french bread and a creamy custard base!
This is the most AMAZING custard bread pudding recipe. The texture and flavor of this bread pudding is absolute perfection. The outer crust is crispy and crunchy while the soft, rich, custard-like interior just melts in your mouth. Make this with stale French bread and generously soak it overnight in the rich, creamy base to fully saturate the bread. You'll end up with the most decadent custard bread pudding that's sure to become a favorite!
Pairs perfectly with this Bread Pudding Sauce Recipe!
Try this Bread Pudding Sauce Recipe!
Tips for Making Custard Bread Pudding:
Start with old, dried out bread and cut it into cubes. The drier the better since that means it'll absorb more of the custard mixture. If you only have fresh bread, wait two or three days, or slice it up and lightly toast it in the oven to dry it out completely. Avoid any coloration while toasting, we just want it to be dry.
Mix together the custard mixture ingredients and pour it into a baking dish. You want to make sure the custard mixture is homogenous so keep whisking until you no longer see any separated egg whites. I whisked for about 6 - 7 minutes. Afterwards, add it to a baking dish and then gently add your dried out bread cubes. At this point you can gently toss the bread cubes until they're completely covered. After about 15 minutes, they start getting soft and can break apart easily so avoid stirring at this point. I recommend letting the bread soak for at least 2 hours to make sure the custard is entirely soaked through. Overnight is even better.
Baking your Custard Bread Pudding:
Baking your Custard Bread Pudding:Preheat your oven and cover the custard bread pudding with foil and set this inside a bigger roasting pan. Pour water into the roasting pan until the water reaches the halfway point of the bread pudding. Do not skip this step. This is called a water bath.
Why Use a Water Bath?
A water bath is used to ensure even cooking throughout and prevent curdling of the custard. The water bath insulates the custard bread pudding from the direct heat of the oven which is a much higher temperature than the water bath. This is important because the higher temperature of the oven can curdle the eggs in the custard mixture.
Bake it covered until your custard is set. This will depend on how deep your baking dish is. The best way to tell is to insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, your custard is set. I baked mine for about an hour and a half. Afterwards uncover and let the crust get crunchy and brown. It should look something like this:
Let your custard bread pudding sit for 10 minutes before slicing it, and serve yourself a generous slice. The inside of your bread pudding should be like custard and completely set. If you see more moisture than you'd like, reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F and bake it for a little bit longer uncovered. Loosely cover with foil if the crust starts to get too dark.
This goes perfectly with this Bread Pudding Sauce Recipe. Top with berries, powdered sugar, or caramel sauce and indulge in the most DECADENT custard bread pudding!
I hope you make this recipe! Please share, rate, and comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for recipe updates and occasional kitchen tips and tricks! Also come find me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Stop by and leave me a message! I love reading your comments!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Try these other dessert recipes!
-
- Bakery Swiss Roll Cake
-
- Creamy Panna Cotta Recipe
-
- Perfect Baked Cinnamon Apples
-
- Giant Flourless Chocolate Cookies
-
- Chewy Butter Mochi
-
- Classic Vanilla Sauce | Bread Pudding Sauce
*This post may contain affiliate links which means any purchases made through my link pay out a small commission without any extra cost to you. All opinions are my own and I only recommend products that I know, personally use, and trust. For more information, please see my Privacy Policy.
Recipe
Custard Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
Equipment
☑ Ingredients
- 16 oz loaf of french bread - 454g
- Bread Pudding Sauce - to serve on the side
Custard Mixture:
- 3 ¾ cups whole milk
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- 7 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- Optional zest of ½ an orange
Instructions
- Cube your loaf of bread into 1.5 inch cubes. Make sure your bread is dry, otherwise lightly toast your cubed bread in the oven or leave it out for a day or two.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the custard mixture. Using a whisk, be sure to mix this well until all the eggs are fully mixed in. You shouldn't be able to see any separated egg whites.
- Pour this mixture into a large baking dish and then add in the dried bread cubes. Gently toss until all the bread is coated. You will see a lot of extra mixture but this will be soaked up by the bread.
- Cover the baking dish and leave it in the refrigerator overnight or at least 2 hours until all the custard mixture has been soaked up.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
- Cover your baking dish tightly with foil and place it into a large roasting pan and set it in a water bath that comes up halfway up the baking dish. Do not skip this step or the custard will curdle.
- Bake for 1.5 hours covered or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Uncover your baking dish and continue to bake it in the roasting pan until the crust becomes browned and crispy.
- Serve with Bread Pudding Sauce and some berries or caramel sauce.
✎ Recipe Notes
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.
Kay
Do you think it would be possible to make this in a crockpot?
Shari G
My husband and I pick up day old breads from various grocery stores and deliver them to seniors, single moms, and homeless shelters. One stipulation is bags must be intact. If the bag or packaging is broken - we may keep it. Today we got some brioche bread. Would that work for this bread pudding recipe?
Jamie
Brioche would be fantastic! Just make sure it's dried out so it can absorb all of that custard base. Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Oscar
My family really enjoyed this bread pudding. It was super creamy and custardy. This was amazing.
Marissa
Amazing recipe! This is just like the bread pudding I used to have as a child. It's so good, literally the best!
Colleen
The best bread pudding out there! This is exactly what I was looking for. Good height, rich, and not dry at all. It was a huge hit.
Ramona
Oh my goodness! I'm loving this custard bread pudding and vanilla sauce. I can eat this all night! It tastes heavenly! Thanks for sharing this beauty!
Serena
It's hard to go wrong with French bread and custard! This recipe was delicious, I'm looking forward to making it again this weekend.
Riley
The best bread pudding. This is our favorite recipe. It is so rich and delicious. Is it possible to make half the amount for just two servings?
Josie
A wonderful and comforting dessert. My nana always added some nutmeg, so I did add a little but followed the recipe exactly otherwise. I have some left-over that I am about to warm up shortly, and I cannot wait! I definitely recommend the orange zest in the custard - delicious.
Lori
Can you use egg substitute
Carol
This looks delicious...My Mother in England, used to make a Bread & Butter pudding, spreading butter and marmalade on the white bread, and then soaking it in the egg custard...Wonderful Memories!
john lavell
Loved this recipe but halved it, and for us Brits half and half is same as single cream.
Jamie
Thanks John! Glad to hear you enjoyed this! 🙂
Conly
So, will a 9X13 dish work for this?
Lyly
1 1/4 cup half n half what's this suppose to mean??
What's ingredient ? Thanks
Jamie
Hi Lyly! Half and half is a dairy product that's richer than milk but lighter than heavy cream. It's roughly made up of half milk and half cream. I added a link to the recipe card that shows a photo of the product. Hope that helps!
Lore Keegan
Hi !l like your Recipe and will absolutely make it,what I like too know canI use all half and half instead of milk and maybe some diced apples ?
L
I’m a huge bread pudding fan but hadn’t found a recipe to make at home that I enjoyed until now! I used oat milk for the most part, as I only had about a half cup of heavy cream. Used a dense yeasted bread (sourdough muesli) with black raisins and sprinkled additional layers of golden raisins, along with some cinnamon and nutmeg. I also added a few ounces of cream cheese to compensate for the missing cream.
Soaked overnight. My whole family loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
Jacquelline A Marshall
It's a very good recipe. However, I needed a 2 quart dish plus a one quart dish so clearly my math fell apart!